As an Iranian oil tanker caught in a standoff between Tehran and the West left Gibraltar, Sunday night, August 18, U.S. President Donald Trump said that "Iran would like to talk," attributing it to poor economic conditions in the country.
"But Iran would like to talk but they just don't know how to get there."
Referring to Iranians as a "very proud people," President Trump noted, "But their economy is crashing, it's crashing. Inflation is through the roof. They're doing really badly."
Insisting that "we can do something fast," President Trump stressed, "They are not selling oil. Even, I mean we put the sanctions on, the oil is selling much less, I mean much less than what we thought. It's like a trickle and they very much want to make a deal."
President Trump's comments echoed his earlier remarks that Washington is seeking a new round of talks with Tehran, while the Islamic Republic's economy is collapsing.
The Trump Administration dropped the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers in May 2018.
Immediately after the withdrawal from JCPOA, Washington re-imposed two batches of sanctions on Tehran, targeting the Islamic Republic's banking system, oil exports and petrochemical industry.
Meanwhile, the United States has repeatedly voiced its readiness to negotiate without preconditions.
Nevertheless, the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected the offer to renew talks with Washington, asserting, "Talking to Americans is a lethal poison, and talking to the Trump Administration is twice as lethal."
President Hassan Rouhani, his U.S. educated Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and the Intelligence Minister have repeatedly joined voices with Khamenei in rejecting talks with Washington.